Rulison Kelly, Weaver GracieLee, Milroy Jeffrey, Beamon Emily, Kelly Samantha, Ameeni Ali, Juma Amina, Abualgasim Fadhel, Husain Jaafar, Wyrick David
Prevention Strategies, Greensboro, NC, United States.
Department of Public Health Education, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, United States.
JMIR Form Res. 2024 Jul 17;8:e58322. doi: 10.2196/58322.
Extremism continues to raise concerns about conflict and violent attacks that can lead to deaths, injuries, trauma, and stress. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to radicalization by extremists. Given its location in a region that often experiences extremism, Bahrain developed 4 peaceful coexistence lessons and 4 antiextremism lessons to be implemented as part of their Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program.
The aim of this study is to report the results of the preparation phase of the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) to develop a peaceful coexistence program and an antiextremism program implemented by D.A.R.E. officers in Bahrain.
We developed conceptual models for the peaceful coexistence and antiextremism programs, indicating which mediators each lesson should target, the proximal outcomes that should be shaped by these mediators, and the distal and ultimate outcomes that the intervention should change. We recruited 20 middle schools to pilot test our research protocol, survey measures, and the existing intervention lessons. A total of 854 seventh and ninth grade students completed a pretest survey, 4 peaceful coexistence intervention lessons, and an immediate posttest survey; and a total of 495 ninth grade students completed the pretest survey, 4 antiextremism lessons, and an immediate posttest survey. A series of 3-level models, nesting students within classrooms within schools, tested mean differences from pretest to posttest.
Pilot test results indicated that most measures had adequate reliability and provided promising evidence that the existing lessons could change some of the targeted mediators and proximal outcomes. Specifically, students who completed the peaceful coexistence lessons reported significant changes in 5 targeted mediating variables (eg, injunctive norms about intolerance, P<.001) and 3 proximal outcomes [eg, social skills empathy (P=.008); tolerance beliefs (P=.041)]. Students who completed the antiextremism lessons reported significant changes in 3 targeted mediators [eg, self-efficacy to use resistance skills themselves (P<.001)], and 1 proximal outcome (ie, social skills empathy, P<.001).
An effective antiextremism program has the potential to protect youth from radicalization and increase peaceful coexistence. We used the preparation phase of MOST to (1) develop a conceptual model, (2) identify the 4 lessons in each program as the components we will evaluate in the optimization phase of MOST, (3) pilot test the existing lessons, our newly developed measures, and research protocol, and (4) determine that our optimization objective will be all effective components. We will use these results to revise the existing lessons and conduct optimization trials to evaluate the efficacy of the individual lessons.
极端主义持续引发人们对冲突和暴力袭击的担忧，这些冲突和袭击可能导致死亡、受伤、创伤和压力。青少年尤其容易受到极端分子的激进化影响。鉴于巴林位于一个经常经历极端主义的地区，该国制定了4节和平共处课程和4节反极端主义课程，作为其抵制药物滥用教育（D.A.R.E.）项目的一部分来实施。
本研究的目的是报告多阶段优化策略（MOST）准备阶段的结果，以制定一个由巴林的D.A.R.E.官员实施的和平共处项目和一个反极端主义项目。
我们为和平共处项目和反极端主义项目开发了概念模型，指出每节课应针对的中介变量、应由这些中介变量塑造的近端结果，以及干预应改变的远端和最终结果。我们招募了20所中学来试点测试我们的研究方案、调查措施和现有的干预课程。共有854名七年级和九年级学生完成了预测试调查、4节和平共处干预课程以及即时后测试调查；共有495名九年级学生完成了预测试调查、4节反极端主义课程以及即时后测试调查。一系列三级模型，将学生嵌套在学校内的班级中，测试了从预测试到后测试的均值差异。
试点测试结果表明，大多数测量方法具有足够的可靠性，并提供了有希望的证据，表明现有课程可以改变一些目标中介变量和近端结果。具体而言，完成和平共处课程的学生在5个目标中介变量（如关于不容忍的指令性规范，P<.001）和3个近端结果（如社交技能同理心，P=.008；宽容信念，P=.041）上报告了显著变化。完成反极端主义课程的学生在3个目标中介变量（如自己使用抵抗技能的自我效能感，P<.001）和1个近端结果（即社交技能同理心，P<.001）上报告了显著变化。
一个有效的反极端主义项目有可能保护青少年免受激进化影响，并促进和平共处。我们利用MOST的准备阶段来（1）开发一个概念模型，（2）将每个项目中的4节课确定为我们将在MOST优化阶段评估的组成部分，（3）试点测试现有课程、我们新开发的措施和研究方案，以及（4）确定我们的优化目标将是所有有效的组成部分。我们将利用这些结果来修订现有课程，并进行优化试验，以评估各节课程的效果。
